In the art of automatically inserting radial lead electrical components into a printed circuit board, which is well known in the industry, the components are supplied to the insertion head of the machine in a desired sequence for insertion into the board. In one type of insertion head 12 (illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1C), components 5 are loaded into spring loaded clamps 14 of the insertion head 12 at an elevation above the printed circuit board 2 by a loading mechanism (not shown). To receive the components 5, the insertion head 12 must be precisely located at a predetermined elevation and angularly aligned about its vertical axis with the loading mechanism. After receipt of the component 5 (FIG. 1A), the head 12 is lowered and may be axially rotated to align the component 5 with holes 4 in the printed circuit board 2. As the head 12 is lowered, the spring loaded pusher 16 engages the component 5 and applies force to the top of the component 5. The first part of the insertion stroke is completed when the head 12 is fully down, and the component leads 7 have been inserted into the printed circuit board holes 4 (FIG. 1B).
In the second part of the insertion stroke, the pusher 16 is further lowered by a push rod 80, which moves the spring loaded clamps 14 to an open position and also moves the clamps 14 out from under component 5. The pusher 16 holds the component 5 against the top of the printed circuit board 2 (FIG. 1C) while the inserted leads are cut and clinched on the bottom side of the board. The head 12 is then raised to receive another component 5. During the ascension, the head 12 is aligned to its original position and the pusher 16 is retracted, allowing the clamps 14 to return to their original closed position to receive the next component 5.
The mechanisms used to position and actuate the insertion head 12 in the past have been pneumatically or cam driven. They suffer from either pneumatic delays, excessive wear, complicated linkages or fixed operating profiles.